Dr. Deborah Birx is speaking out about the United States’ coronavirus lockdown noting how it differed vastly from the pandemic response in other countries — namely Italy.
Speaking candidly, Birx compared the lockdown measures implemented in the United States to that of Italy.
“I wish that when we went into lockdown, we looked like Italy,” Birx said during Monday’s interview. “But when Italy locked down, I mean, people weren’t allowed out of their houses, and they couldn’t come out but once every two weeks to buy groceries for one hour, and they had to have a certificate that said they were allowed.”
Birx continued, “Americans don’t react well to that kind of prohibition.”
See Birx’s remarks below:
Dr. Deborah Birx: "I wish that when we went into lockdown we looked like Italy. But when Italy locked down, I mean, people weren't allowed out of their houses … Americans don't react well to that kind of prohibition." pic.twitter.com/B9Xe0XncnA
— The Recount (@therecount) August 17, 2020
Birx’s concerns come as the United States braces for what could potentially be an unprecedented fall season.
In recent weeks, Birx expressed concerns about the outbreaks in multiple states including Arizona, California, Florida, Texas, and even Georgia, as she compared three of those states’ previous upticks in coronavirus cases to New York’s massive outbreak at the beginning of the pandemic, as previously reported on IJR.
As schools around the country attempt to reopen for the fall semester, health experts are expressing concerns about the outbreaks that are already forcing schools to shut down.
In fact, Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has also expressed public health concerns while stressing the importance of following coronavirus mitigation guidelines.
According to Redfield, failure to follow guidelines could lead to “the worst fall, from a public health perspective, we’ve ever had,” as previously reported on IJR.
Redfield said, “For your country right now and for the war that we’re in against COVID, I’m asking you to do four simple things: wear a mask, social distance, wash your hands, and be smart about crowds.”